Rad Reads for Teens

THE DANGEROUS DAYS OF DANIEL X

2008-08-15T21:10:00.001-05:00

The Sisters Grimm

2008-05-12T14:07:00.001-05:00

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman

2007-08-05T16:22:00.000-05:00

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman is a great book for anyone. The story is about two brothers from a broken home. The brothers go to a unique amusement park where they have to ride six rides before sunrise or they are trapped in the park forever. Each of the six rides have challenges that are unique to the weaknesses of the individual. It explores many emotions that your average teenager experiences and since all of us adults have been teens at some point it is good to revisit those feelings all of us once had. Highly recommend as a Book Talk book!

The Seance by Joan Lowery Nixon

2007-06-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

Joan Lowery Nixon is a four-time Edgar Award winner for her suspenseful, scary stories. The Seance gets 4 out of 5 stars for suspense and creepy.

Lauren has lived in a small town in Texas with her aunt Melvamay since her mother died when she was four and her father was killed in a truck accident. Also living in the house is Sara Martin, another teen who goes to school with Lauren. Laura and Sara aren't friends. Laura has seen Sara sneaking out of the house at night and watches when strange guys drop her back off late. She envies Sara's popularity and beauty but stays away from her as much as possible. In their school, too, is a girl named Roberta who supposedly can talk to the dead. Some girls in school talk Roberta into holding a seance and both Lauren and Sara are invited.

At the seance, Roberta locks the doors, turns off the lights, lights a candle and begins. Lauren feels immediately uncomfortable, like someone is watching. Sara begins to scream. When the lights come back on fear turns to terror, however; Sara is missing. Two days later they find her body.

The police ask the girls to re-enact the seance but when another girl from the seance turns up missing, and later dead Lauren decides she must find the murderer before she is the next victim

Joan Nixon's writing makes you sit on the edge of your seat at times and provides sighs of relief at other times. Every chapter keeps you asking questions and trying to guess who dun' it. Hint: It's not who you think.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

2006-12-27T14:24:00.000-06:00

A retelling of the Grimm Brothers' tale, Crown Princess Anidori-Kiladra of Kildenree lives in luxury but still seems to feels uncomfortable in her skin. As she works with her aunt, she learns that she can speak with and understand animals, unlike her mother who has the gift of people-speaking. Soon, however, her aunt is sent away and then Ani, herself, is sent to Bayern, a neighboring kingdom. She is meant as a bride for the crown prince, as well as a peace-offering, so the kingdoms will not go to war.

On the way there, Selia (her lady-in-waiting) and many of her guards attack Ani and her faithful guards, most of whom are killed. Ani runs and finds shelter in the Bayern forest. She takes the name Isi and bides her time as a goose girl, until she can find a way to reveal that the Princess Ani who has presented herself as the bride is really an imposter. Along the way, she finds true friends, discovers how others live and nurtures another remarkable gift - the ability to speak with the wind.

Be forewarned: There is a surprising amount of violence (including animal cruelty) in this long tale. Yet, the story, the language and the characters all lead the reader on a worthwhile journey where Ani finds that she is a real princess who can be a leader among her people.

Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher

2006-12-20T18:09:00.000-06:00

Mitra and her 5 year-old brother, Babak, are Persian refugees living in the City of the Dead - a series of caves in the cliff that rises above the ancient city of Rhagae. Mitra, who dresses as a boy to escape notice, lives by her wits, stealing food and other necessities as they wait for word of her older brother Suren, who has gone to find out what happened to the rest of their royal family.

Babak has dreams that are often prophetic and Mitra takes advantage of this gift, trying to make their lives in the caves a little easier as well as to raise enough money to get them to Palmyra where she believes her mother is. Instead, she is eventually betrayed to a traveling Magus, Melchior, who has heard of Babak's gift and wants Babak to dream only for him. Melchior takes the two with him in his caravan that is moving westward toward signs he has read in the stars. Eventually, the group meets up with two other Magi, Gaspar and Balthazaar, who are also interested in Babak's dreams and the bright star they are trying to follow.

This interesting tale tells the Christmas story of the three Magi who have read the stars, listened to Babak's dreams and are seeking the new king being born in Bethlehem. Told from Mitra's point of view, it is a beautifully rendered coming-of-age story of a young girl who is struggling to find her family and recapture her home.

I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

2006-12-07T10:31:00.000-06:00

Cammie Morgan is the daughter of the Headmistress at the Gallagher Academy, a school that claims it is for genius girls. But behind it's twelve-foot, ivy-covered walls, Gallagher is really a school for training young female spies. Entering her sophomore year, Cammie and her friends are excited because this is the year that they get to enter Sub-Level 1, the underground rooms where Covert Operations is taught.

Little does Cammie know that soon she will be running the covert operation of her life as she meets Josh, a boy from town and falls for him. To him, Cammie is the child of religious zealots who are homeschooling her. As she tries to balance her two secret lives, while keeping them completely separate, Cammie soon realizes how impossible this task really is!

Filled with action, romance and quite a bit of humor, this light read is perfect, particularly after a grueling required reading assignment.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

2006-12-01T08:45:00.000-06:00

Aza, the adopted daughter of innkeepers, lives in the Kingdom of Ayortha where beauty and singing are idolized. She has a beautiful voice, but it is in the body of one with skin the color of "skimmed milk," lips that are "as red as a dragon's tongue" and hair that is "as black as an old frying pan." She and her family focus on her talented singing as she works in her family's tavern and inn.

One day, two things happen that will have a major impact on her life. She discovers she has an even greater talent in her voice, the ability to "throw" it anywhere so it appears that it isn't coming from her. She calls this "illusing" and keeps it a secret. Next, she is invited to the Ayorthan court by a visiting duchess, where the King is about to be married to a commoner from a neighboring kingdom.

Reluctantly, Aza goes with the duchess and is soon in situations she is ill-prepared for. She has mixed feelings for the new Queen, who makes her a lady-in-waiting but also makes her illuse the Queen's singing voice so no one will know the she can't sing. Aza also falls in love with the Prince, but doesn't have the confidence that the Prince could return those feelings to someone who looks like she does. And wait until she discovers that the Queen isn't as pretty as she appears! Potions and a magic mirror will contribute to Aza being chased from the castle and threatened with death.

This fast-paced fairy tale retelling has elements from Sleeping Beauty as well as Snow White, with a touch of Cyrano de Bergerac thrown in for good measure. For all readers who enjoy fairy tale retellings, high adventure, young romance or just a really good story.

When It Happens

2006-11-06T08:41:00.000-06:00

A nice, quick read that I just finished is When It Happens by Susane Colasanti. This book is told in the alternating voices of Sara and Tobey. Sara is a senior and an excellent student but she isn't part of what she considers the "in-crowd". Sara gets excited when Dave, a popular senior, shows her attention and asks her out. But unfortunately, Dave is not all Sara had hoped for and their relationship doesn't thrill her as much as she'd like. Sara has the idea that this year, she is going to find true romance so she sticks with Dave and starts hanging with his friends much to the displeasure of her closest girlfriends. Dave seems to want only one thing from Sara and it's not something she's ready to give.

Enter Tobey. Tobey is a rocker at heart, part of a band and a self-proclaimed slacker. He knows that if he's going to win Sara, who he believes is the "real" thing, he's going to have to show her he's worth it. He sets to raising his grades, something he's easily capable of, and going after the girl by enlisting one of her closest friends.

Sara is still going out with Dave but Tobey's eyes have something in them that keeps drawing her to him. He's totally not her type but she's quickly discovering that Dave is not going to fulfill her destiny. As she and Tobey start to get closer, Sara is confounded by all of the things they have in common. Which boy will she choose? Is Dave really a loser? Is Tobey too good to be true? Pick up When It Happens and find out.

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

2006-10-31T16:26:00.000-06:00

I just Finished Raven's Gate and it was a good fantasy story. I don't normally read fantasy, but I enjoyed Horowitz's Alex Rider series so much I wanted to try something else by him. The main character's name is Matt and he is caught after trying to steal DVDs from a warehouse. This gets him put into a program called the L.E.A.F Project where he will be sent to live with a family for a while and help them out and go to school. He is assigned to this woman named Mrs. Deverill who lives outside of the town of Lesser Malling on a dingy farm. She is mean and makes him work all the time. Matt wants to escape but can't figure out how. Then strange things start happening. Matt wakes up in the middle of the night hearing chanting and sees a glow in the woods. What is going on? He tries to find the source and comes across an old abandoned nuclear power station called Omega 1. What does it have to do with what is happening around him? Why does Mrs. Deverill want him? She obviously doesn't like him but she won't let him leave. Is there any way Matt can escape or will something awful happen before he can?

Behind Rebel Lines: the Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy, by Seymour Reit

2006-10-31T15:00:00.000-06:00

If there was a war going on would you feel it was your duty to fight for the side you felt was right? That is how Emma Edmonds felt and this is her story. The cause she felt strongly about was slavery and the war was the Civil War. As you know, women weren’t allowed to fight or be near the fighting. To get around this and do her part Emma cuts her hair, dresses up as a man named Franklin Thompson and joins the Union Army. Luckily for her they did not give physical examinations to the recruits. Emma is assigned to the infirmary to help the sick and wounded. One day she sees a sign asking for spies for the army and she decides to apply. She is chosen to spy on the rebel camps. On her first assignment she dresses up as a slave named Cuff, and so begins her career as a Union spy. Will she be caught? Will her true identity be discovered? To find out what happens read Behind Rebel Lines by Seymour Reit. --Carrie Falk, Shenandoah Public Library
144p., New York: Gulliver Books, 2001. 0152164278

Backwater, by Joan Bauer

2006-10-31T14:55:00.000-06:00

Backwater by Joan Bauer (Grade 8)
185p., New York: Putnam’s, 1999. 0399231412

Ivy Breedlove has grown up in a family full of aggressive arguing bullheaded lawyers. She never has any peace and they all expect her to take up the family profession, as well. Ivy wants nothing to do with being a lawyer. She is fascinated with history and learning from the past. In fact, Ivy has been working on writing the Breedlove family history. She has information on everyone but her Aunt Josephine who disappeared years ago. Whenever her father or uncle talks about Aunt Josephine they use words like crazy and eccentric. People say that Ivy is a lot like Josephine too. Ivy decides to set out to meet this aunt she has never seen. Josephine lives the life of a hermit on the side of a mountain. Ivy hires a guide named Mountain Mama and starts out on the adventure of her life. What will happen on the way? What will Ivy find out about Aunt Josephine and more importantly what will she find out about herself in the Backwater? --Carrie Falk, Shenandoah Public Library

Welcome to Rad Reads for Teens!

2006-10-31T14:48:00.000-06:00

Rad Reads is the place to come to find good books for teens to read! (Well, and adults will probably like many of them, too!) Librarians in Iowa are always on the lookout for good books, always reading, always ready to connect readers with the right book.